Sins Of The Past
by Sargent Crash
Summary: A demon from ITEM's past invades their new peace. "Even if the whole world forgives you, I never will." a seething hatred created by selfish actions. What will become of ITEM?
1. DEATH OF PEACE

**Did you know, there's not many fics about Hamazura and Mugino? Or about Hamazura in general? Well! Here's something to fix that! Is this a new series? Or another one-shot? I don't know. But here it is.  
**

 **Enjoy?**

 **PEACE OF DEATH**

 **PART 1**

"Eh!? District 11! But we just got to the Dianoid! Can't we just buy everything here?" A surprised and slightly irritated Hamazura Shiage protested against the voice echoing from his phone.

However the self proclaimed End Of The Century Emperor's words fell on deaf ears. "What are you saying Hamazura? When furnacing a new living space, you can't be cheap and go for the easy to obtain stuff. You've got to go for the super high quality that will last rather than the one you expect to replace." the knit sweater girl replied with a swift and sharp argument that cut any of resistance down.

 _But you and Mugino insisted I go here._ He decided it was best to not speak those words for they would surely endanger his life. Still, it bothered him that they changed their minds so quickly and not think of that beforehand. "Right. After we're done well bring back something to eat. Anything in particular?" He had given up on arguing and focused more on the task at hand.

"Don't worry about us. You should have a lovely date with Takitsubo." Kinuhata teased.

"Eh!? Really!" An excited voice broke out from the teen. After his adventures during the dangerous WWIII, he had little to no time with his girlfriend Takitsubo. It seemed at every opportunity Mugino or Kinuhata(Usually both) would somehow intervene, hence the move for the two. He seriously began to conspire that the two were doing it on purpose for reasons he did not know. "I'll take you up on that offer! Hey we may not even come back tonight if things go well!"

"...In the end, you're still super Hamazura…" She added that last bit before hanging up on the teen.

That last remark did nothing to Hamazura's enthusiasm as he danced openly in the street around his girlfriend who strangely had a somewhat serious expression staring at her phone screen. Realizing she had not stopped to comment on his expressive dance, he attempted to peak at the tracksuit girls phone screen. "Hm? Takitsubo?" In response to her name she swiftly closed her phone and secured it in her pocket.

"It's nothing. But District 11. Okay. Let's go."

"Huh? O-okay but w-wait!" What surprised Hamazura wasn't her sudden burst of movement but how she firm grabbed his arm and placed it snuggly close to her hidden large chest.

 _Hmm! What's this!? Takitsubo is being unusually aggressive right now! Could this be it? Could this be the time for the great Hamazura Shiage to shed off the facade of a boy and become a man? Then I won't waste it! Mugino! Kinuhata! I won't waste this chance of a lifetime you've given me!_ "S-so what are we buying first for our love nest?" Still stuck in his imaginary bliss, he let those embarrassing words slip out.

"A fridge." Takitsubo coolly replied, still clinging to his arm. She paid no attention to her boyfriends strange behavior(Or maybe considered it normal) and concentrated on moving Hamazura toward their new destination.

When the couple arrived at a bus stop, Takitsubo released Hamazura. "Eh? You don't want to take the bus? It's a long walk from here to District 15." She wasn't the most active girl he knew. In fact he could recount more times of her sleeping than being awake. Mentally he compared her to a sloth but drove that thought to the far reaches of his mind.

"It's not the distance that bothers me…" She said casually while stealing glances from her surroundings

Hamazura, surprisingly, took notice of this and followed her gaze through the crowds of people. _There's nothing here but a bunch of subsidiary shops… Don't tell me!? Takitsubo is finally taken an interest in clothes?_ He clenched his fist in excitement and began to slowly analyze the situation. _But how do I approach her about it? I can't be blunt like an idiot! Girls require delicacy when touching a topic about appearance! How would a boyfriend react in this situation?_ "Don't tell me, you want to take the long way to District 11?"

"..." She made a few more glances to her surroundings before answering. "Yes."

"Eh?"

She once again locked Hamazura's arm close to her chest and dragged him away from the bus. "I want this.. To last as long as possible."

"Ehhhhhhhhh!?"

 **PART 2**

Kinuhata silently sighed to herself as she hung up her phone. Despite her calm and collected demeanor, her surroundings spoke an entirely different story. Emergency vehicles and Anti-Skill had gathered around a burning building that was once housing ITEM as a temporary home. According to one of the first responders, the cause was most likely an electrical fire. However, Kinuhata Saiai was a resident of that Darkness hidden in Academy City. She wasn't naive enough to believe such a thing would occur, especially so soon after it's 'dispersion.'

"Still though. This is quite a sloppy attempt if I do say so myself."

Kinuhata slipped away from the crowded scene into a nearby alleyway to regroup. As she turned the corner, she saw another member of ITEM, standing over a bruised up thug.

"Oh? Done already? I thought he would complain a bit more." Mugino casually greeted the girl yet did not relieve her heel from the thug's shoulder.

Kinuhata shrugged. "While he did at first, he ended up being super Hamazura about it." Mugino clicked her tongue at the news. She had a feeling their blonde associate would be pleased by the situation which irritated her to some extent. "How are things are your end?"

"Good. I just got in contact with Takitsubo. Hamazura is easy to handle so we should be able to finish this quickly."

"Now, Mr. Amateur. We lovely ladies have some questions for you." There was a menace to those words that she had no intention of hiding as she dug her heel deeper in the thugs shoulder.

Of course the thug quickly nodded in agreement, not because of level 5 status, but before this little chat she had swiftly subdued him without using that dangerous power. "Good. Glad you understand. You got a minute."

 _Eh?_ He almost let the surprised gasp escape his mouth.

"A minute to explain why you're here, actions, superiors, motives and everything in between. Otherwise," A beam of light grazed over the boy's head, "That building won't be the only thing burning today."

 _What the hell!? These girls are scary!_

"Speak."

O-okay! My name is Higarashi Toutsuki! Wait that's not important is it? Nevermind! I'm a level 0. Is that important? I think so? Sort of? It's kinda the reason I'm here? I get it! I get it! Not important! Important thing is I wanted to join Skill-Out but I got contacted through an email telling me to do things to be in! Real suspicious I thought but Skill-Out is known for the shady business so I agreed! I never met anybody in person! Really! I pick up some things, drop them off, and get deposits. Was real good and easy shit! Then they got a bit more dangerous. Setting up cameras hiding mics, then explosives! It just escalated! But I couldn't back out now! Plus the money was real good! Next thing I know. 'Set these explosives in these particular spots.' Came with a bunch of pictures of some shady and hidden apartments around the city so I'm thinking opposing Skill-Out group but then there was another picture and more instructions. 'Wait till you see this group leave one of the buildings. Then trigger the bombs! I'm like what! That's a big order for me but I followed up. Set them and scouted the areas. Found you guys, blew up said building. Ran cause you know explosions tend to gather things like Anti-Skill; not a fan of those guys, you chased me, punched me square in the face, good hit by the way! Some real weight to it and now we're here! I-I think that's about it. Might've skimmed over some things to get the important bits within that limited time."

An awkward silence fell between the three after that short yet highly effective interrogation.

Kinuhata Saiai was stuck between dumbfoundedness and amusement.

Higarashi Toutsuki was expecting a swift release for obliging the girls.

And Mugino Shizuri…

"You…" She released her heel from the thugs shoulders.

"Eh!? You're letting me go?"

"You fucking amateur!" her leg cut though the air and connected with his head, effectively knocking him out.

"Ah. You kicked him."

"He didn't know shit so it's fine!" She defended her outburst of anger. "The only thing we need from him now is his phone." She fished out the boy's phone from his unconscious body and began searching through it. "Seriously this is sloppy. He didn't even delete the emails." She scrolled through to find the drop off locations of items and pick up areas. She also found the email detailing his recent actions. "Tch! They didn't even find all of our hideouts!"

"Well, what do you think Mugino? It's not like using people like him is unheard of."

"Doubt it. It's far too soon right after their disappearing act. Not to mention the safety net that Hamazura secured. Attacking us in broad daylight like this? Not a chance. Probably some new group trying to make a name for itself to fill the void." Speaking from experience, she knew their way would be subtle actions at first if anything before resorting to outright violence. Isolate, invade, deceit, destroy. These were the tactics she had effectively used to survive in that desolate environment filled with death. It was calling card of sorts that only residents of that darkness would be able to see.

This wasn't like that.

"Besides, we have another problem besides amateur hour over here." She tossed the phone over to Kinuhata who casually caught and glanced at the screen.

"Should we regroup with Takitsubo then?"

Safety in numbers, is what Kinuhata was thinking but that came with disadvantages. And waiting for the enemy to attack was never Mugino's style.

"Rather than wait, there were a couple of interesting spots they used for their meets. We should pay them a visit first."

Someone had bared their teeth against the level 5, despite the wishes of Academy City, they openly attacked and threatened her very livelihood. Regardless of motives or intentions, Mugino Shizuri could care less about that. She would completely incinerate that which invaded her peace Hamazura Shiage desperately struggle to create.

"A trap? Or a trail? I wonder which I'll find first?"


	2. PURSUIT & LURE

**Chapter 2! This one is quite small so don't expect to much. Right now I'm using this fic to experiment with some ideas that I have. With all that said and out of the way, hope you enjoy!  
**

 **PURSUIT & LURE**

Something was off about Takitsubo Rikou today, Hamazura Shiage was certain of this fact. She said she wanted their 'date' to last as long as possible. He clearly remembered those words. Yet her actions were certainly contradictory of that statement, dragging the boy along with a brisk walk that was one pace short of a light jog. Hamazura had no idea what was going on inside her mind, her stoic expression almost never broke, so he can only assume her thoughts by her actions. And what Hamazura came up with was something not far off from the truth.

 _Something has Takitsubo riled up._ He had found a logical conclusion to his partners actions yet had no idea or understanding of what that 'something' was. Rather than make his own baseless assumption, he continued to quietly observe her as she pulled him through District 7. She pulled the teen along maintaining her fast pace but on occasion she would make a drastic turn. At first Hamazura assumed the girl was lost, as they did not often walk through District 7 however there was a sense of urgency and purpose with each turn they made prolonging their trip.

 _This is…_ Hamazura quietly observed the strange route the tracksuit girl had taken and slowly had his own idea of the situation. He casually pushed his body closer to his and matched her pace. "Oi. Takitsubo. Why didn't you tell me we're being followed?" his intimate whisper was anything but romantic. She didn't openly respond or react. However her grip tighend on the boys arm.

The boy knew all too well. Even before he joined ITEM, he had already experienced that darkness that dwelled below Academy City. Though he thought he managed to escape that life by obtaining the Parameter List, leaving the higher up with no option but to leave them be. The boy did find it strange, upon their return to the city, all traces of that darkness that brutally followed him to the frozen warzone of Russia had disappeared, apparently unrelated to his grand adventure. His mind sparked an optimistic thought at the time.

 _Maybe I didn't need this after all!_

He understood how silly it was to have that thought! The tracksuit girl's face said it all.

'This is a life or death situation, Hamazura.'

"Ah. I get that much, Takitsubo." Hamazura decided to disregard the fact she did not inform him, instead solely focused his attention to the primary the opponent head on was not an option yet. "Now. Let's see how many of these bastards there are."

Takitsubo continued to pull the couple, keeping close to the packed streets and flowed through the crowds. At the same time Hamazura solely focused on anything that looked off. Instead of her awkward looping prior, they changed to a zigzag route.

 _Tch! They got a truck too!_

Hamazura found it strange. Despite his history in the cities underside, he found it quite easily to spot their trackers. It wasn't as if his skill to spot those dangers had improved.

 _...Are these guys amateurs!? Can you not be so obvious and fall into those telltale signs of following!_ Hamazura struggled to keep a solid face in the wake of their actions.

"I've counted 4. And the truck." He relayed the info for confirmation. The boy would much rather have Takitsubo point out the trackers yet he didn't want to risk alerting them and accelerating them into danger.

"Hm." She nodded in approval, to which he responded with a relieved sigh. "They're unarmed as well."

"Eh?"

"Or lacking firearms at least. They've had plenty of opportunities to eliminate us from a distance."

The confidence of that statement sent a chill up Hamazura's spine. He had no intention of questioning her and continued to listen intently.

"They could still be armed with close range weapons but the biggest issue currently…" The couple turned into another crowded area and spotted the black SUV tracking them from a good distance.

"The truck eh?" Hamazura finished. With the presence of the vehicle, they could not confidently escape. Should they try and fail, that would end their only advantage.

Logically speaking…

"We should take out one of our tails before making a run for it."

That was their best bet. Yet despite that, Takitsubo tugged at his sleeve in resistance. "No."

It wasn't that she did not believe in Hamazura's ability, no. the main reason for her rejection of the plan was something else entirely. "I… Want to protect this. We want to protect this." It wasn't just Takitsubo. Mugino and Kinuhata were truly grateful to the level zero who fought for a life they never thought would be possible for them. If someone like Hamazura who a majority of the world recognized as a loser could be victorious and reach his goal, then it should be an easy task to protect it without his help.

However…

"We're ITEM." He did not pick that unwinnable fight just for himself. "I fought for this so I also want to protect it. Geez. You guys should at least pretend to depend on me. I'm not that incompetent."

Takitsubo almost stopped in her tracks. She wanted to correct the blonde teen about her thoughts and reason for her actions. However the time and place granted her no such leisure.

So she closed off those selfish thoughts clouding her judgement.

The task at hand must be dealt with.

"So, is our pro tracker ready to get rid our third wheelers?"

She nodded. "Two blocks ahead well turn right into an underground parking lot. It's a designated lot so the truck can't easily follow us."

"An open space? Wouldn't that make it easier for them to surround us?"

"If we fought in an alleyway, our escape options would be limited, and the fight would drag out should you fight them one on one. We need to eliminate as many as possible with a single move."

Hamazura understood her thinking, however…

"Takitsubo, I'm a level 0. I don't have any sort of special skill that can do that."

"That's why I chose the underground lot Hamazura."

"!?" the flow of thinking began to click as they made their way. After they entered the lot, only a few short minutes passed before another group entered behind them. The 4 trackers decided it best to enter together to out number Hamazura. The lot was only one floor deep but was quite spacious, with multiple vehicles parked away from each other. They entered expecting to look for their target and yet they were greeted by something else entirely.

"Yo." standing in the middle of the dimly lit lot stood Hamazura Shiage with a confident grin on his face. "As a boyfriend, I can't help but be a little cautious when I notice other guys stalking my girl. So why don't we settle this, man to man?"

He openly challenged the group despite the obvious disadvantage.

 _God I hope Takitsubo is right about the no firearms thing!_

His didn't let those worries leak out and break his bravado. "Care to tell me why you bastards are following us?"

The group remained cautious and slowly approached him, scanning the dark lot for their second target.

"If you're looking for Takitsubo, she's right behind me. If you want her, you go through me first."

"Well, that's not the order we want to do things, Hamazura."

Unexpectedly , one of the goons responded, which took Hamazura by surprise, yet he wasn't reacting to the action itself, rather the sound of the boy's voice.

"Why the shocked face, Hamazura? Don't tell me after all you've done, I'd celebrate this reunion with open arms? No, no! Far from it you traitor." The voice echoed in the lot as he rose it in anger. "You leave after that horrible failure with Misaka Misuzu's assassination, join some level 5's group. Then there were these false rumors spread by Hattori himself that you killed a level 5!? YOU!? A failure in all sense of the word defeated a level 5?" his words were laced with hatred toward the level 0.

With those words, Hamazura knew.

Skill-Out. More specifically, the Skill-Out group he was a part of. Hattori Hanzo had gained control of that group after he stepped down but he recalled Hattori mentioning that no one bared any ill will toward his failings. Perhaps that was a lie to ease his own transition. Or he was speaking of the majority of that Skill-Out group, for the person before him certainly bared ill intentions due to Hamazura's past failings.

 _Out of all the people out for my head, it's you guys._ He couldn't blame them for their disdain for him. Right after his greatest failure he left, joining ITEM as a no name grunt and never took responsibility for it. I'm fact, a part of him thought that anger was justified.

Yet he did not apologize.

"So, you revenge was your big idea?" words such as 'sorry' would not be enough to stop them now. If anything, that would only be lip service for himself to lessen the weight of his sin, one which he choose not to abandon.

The four men slowly grew closer, drawing out their concealed weapons.

Metal pipes. Chains. Brass knuckles. Typical weapons for level 0s.

"Revenge? No. This is judgement. We lost everything when Komaba died and left the reigns to you. Yet here you are. Living the life with your esper friends. You should lose something at least. Don't you think? Those 3 that you hang out with now, what kind of face will you make if they died?"

Words were over. The 4 launched a simultaneous attack on the boy.

"What the!?"

A bright light radiated from behind Hamazura.

"Cars in Academy City are really amazing." The light grew closer at a an alarming pace.

"You can start them without making a sound!"

The wheels grinded against the floor as the vehicle rushed into the blinded group. Two of them were sent flying by the car, with the remaining two barely rolling out of the way. However that number quickly fell to one as Hamazura's knee effectively knocked a thug unconscious.

The sole thug tightly gripped the metal pipe in hand. He charged at Hamazura who sloppily dodged the downward swing and followed up with gut driving tackle, forcing him on the ground.

The victors had been decided.

"Alright you bastard. What's your plan?"

"Ha! You think I'll tell you? A traitor and a failure!? Aren't you a bit full of yourself because got a lucky break!?"

"L-lucky!?" the word struck a nerve with him. But before he could retort, Takitsubo called out to him.

"Hamazura! Hurry!" she opened the driver's side door and slid into the passenger's seat. They hardly had time for any kind of interrogation. Another enemy loomed over them. He swore under his breath and ran into the car. "I've tried contacting Mugino and Kinuhata but I can't reach them." Hamazura wasted no time with the seatbelt and slammed his foot on the gas, breaking the toll gate to the underground lot with a crashing roar.

"Can you give me a general direction of their location? I doubt they're still at the apartment."

"Actually the apartment got blown up. They went after the attackers."

Hamazura continued his speedy getaway despite the lack of a destination. The reason being…

"Shit! They're already catching up to us!" True to his words, the black SUV haphazardly swerved through the light traffic, slowly closing the distance between them. It would only be a matter of seconds before it caught up if this continued.

There was a tinge of surprise in Takisubo's stoic expression which Hamazura noticed.

"Sure the specs on the car completely outclass that heap of garbage, however Academy City has smart cars that limit the actual top speed. Meanwhile, Skill-Out guts cars like that for optimal speed, sacrificing things like computers, radios and safety devices. For something like that, it carries supplies from one place to another rather quickly." his words came out rather bitter. He tried to focus on driving yet the recent conversation lingered in the back of his mind.

Takitsubo noticed his distress. "Hamazura…"

"No. I'm not okay." He answered flatly before she could ask. "Reasons or not, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth fighting people who I once considered a comrade."

After all, it was due to his own failings that drove them to where they are now. Komaba had entrusted that large faction of Skill-Out to him, only to be forced to be Academy City's dogs to prevent the same fate as Komaba.

 _If Komaba was still alive…_

No. That was wrong to think that. He had garnered the attention of those higher ups, disrupting their plans and changing the ugly image of Skill-Out the majority had given them. Ultimately, Komaba Ritoku's death was inevitable. The only thing Hamazura could change was.

 _If I didn't fail. If I didn't accept their offer…_

Where would Hamazura Shiage be? Where would Skill-Out and Hattori Hanzo be? Where would ITEM be? The thoughts piled in the back of his mind as he sped through the highway, the SUV in hot pursuit.

"I'm not alright but we can deal with that later. We gotta shake these guys off before finding Mugino."

"You sound like you have an idea for that."

"You might want to put on your seatbelt Takitsubo. It's going to get rough from here." soon after he said those words, his foot began to ease off the gas, decelerating at good pace.

"Hamazura… What are you doing?" a slow realization came to the tracksuit girl as she tried to slide deeper into her seat.

"You didn't think I picked this car specifically to outspeed them, did ya? That's impossible regardless of what car I picked." The SUV was now only a few cars behind them. "Remember what I said about Skill-Out outfitting and gutting cars for specific jobs? Turns out when you remove so many systems, it shifts the center of gravity."

"Hamazura." there was no point trying to talk him out of it. The SUV was directly to their left. She could only brace for what was to come next. "So all it needs to tumble is a 'small' and precise push."

That small push consisted of 3,800 pounds of metal colliding at near 100mph.

A vicious and violent crashed followed that reverberated throughout District 7.


End file.
